Woman struck by school bus expected to live

David Hennessey

Updated 10:24 pm, Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Greenwich woman struck by a school bus Monday while she crossed Glenville Road was in stable condition Wednesday morning and is expected to live, according to police.

Dolores Nieto-DeFlores, 57, of 41 Woodland Drive, remained in the intensive care unit at Stamford Hospital after suffering a head injury in the accident, said Greenwich Police Sgt. John Slusarz.

The school bus, which was carrying five local private school students, struck Nieto-DeFlores as she crossed from the south side of Glenville Road while traffic was moderate Monday afternoon.

Slusarz said the bus was rounding the Lake Avenue circle heading toward Glenville Road when Nieto-DeFlores walked into the lane in which the bus was traveling near the entrance to the private community of Rock Ridge.

The bus driver, Gilbert Hodge, of New York-based East End Bus Lines, applied his brakes and swerved, but Nieto-DeFlores was not able to retreat in time, Slusarz said. She was thrown by the impact with the bus, struck her head on the pavement and slid into oncoming traffic, but vehicles avoided striking her, police said.

"At this point in the investigation, it would appear that the pedestrian was not in a place she should have been," Slusarz said, noting there are no crosswalks at the accident site.

No charges have been filed in connection with the accident, as the investigation continues.

Hodge, who has a clean driving record, acted appropriately given the circumstances, Slusarz said.

"We determined that the bus driver was not exceeding the speed limit," he said.

Molly King, head of school for Greenwich Academy, confirmed some of the students on the bus were from the academy and said school officials immediately checked on the welfare of the students. Parents were notified of the accident, and arrangements were made to bring the students from the accident scene, she said.